How is defamation case against Aryan Khan’s ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’ maintainable in Delhi? HC asks Sameer Wankhede

Justice Purushaindra Kaurav orally questioned Wankhede’s counsel if there is any cause of action pertaining to Delhi and then suggested he amend the suit accordingly, specifying the cause of action for pursuing the suit in the jurisdiction of Delhi.

The series, which premiered on September 18 on Netflix, marks the directorial debut of Aryan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, and has been produced by Red Chillies Entertainment.

Wankhede shot to the limelight when he arrested Aryan in 2021 while serving as Mumbai zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB).

What the suit says

Pointing to the alleged dig at Wankhede in the web series, his suit details that similarities include a character that “mimics” Wankhede’s persona, with “facial and physical resemblance, striking similarities in action, speech and mannerism”. He also pointed out the fact that the character in the series “proceeds to arrest an influential individual associated with the movie industry”.

He objected to the “utterance of the expression, ‘Satyamev Jayate’, by the character — an expression that was often used by Wankhede “while answering media queries while he was investigating Mr Aryan Khan for offences under the NDPS Act”.

He has also taken objection to the character making an obscene gesture — specifically, showing a middle finger — after the character recites ‘Satyamev Jayate’ which is the part of the National Emblem. Wankhede submitted that this constitutes a “grave and sensitive violation of the provisions of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.”

The defamation suit has been filed against the production company, Netflix, X Corp, Google LlC, Meta Platforms Inc, RPG Lifestyle Media Pvt Ltd and John Does.

Wankhede has claimed that the series disseminates a misleading and negative portrayal of anti-drug enforcement agencies, thereby eroding public confidence in law enforcement institutions. It is learnt that the suit alleges the series has been “deliberately conceptualised” and executed with the intent to malign Wankhede’s reputation in a “colourable and prejudicial manner”.

He has also taken objection to references made in the series to Aryan’s NCB case and has highlighted that the case is pending and sub-judice before the Bombay High Court and the NDPS Special Court, Mumbai.

Wankhede is seeking Rs 2 crore in damages, to be donated to the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital for treatment of cancer patients.